Episode 11: The Truth Behind the Red Mark
Huz bit his lip with a troubled look. After a moment, he gave up and spoke.
“I brought this on myself.”
“Haha, shall we go then?”
He smiled at my joke and walked forward.
I followed him into the library, holding his hand.
The bookshelves had signs with letters on them. I looked for the section labeled ‘Ryu’, the first letter of the word “curse” in our language. But since it was later in the alphabet, it wasn’t on the first floor.
As I went up to the second floor, I ran into a blond man who looked noble and elegant at a glance.
‘Wow, he’s really handsome.’
I had read that nobles are usually good-looking, but this wasn’t just fiction—it was real.
I was so drawn to his bright green eyes that I didn’t notice how tightly Huz was gripping my hand. When I turned to him, his eyes were fierce, almost animal-like.
I quickly pulled him into a hug. Surprised, he went stiff and gaped like someone who lost his jaw.
‘That’s a new look from him.’
His shocked face looked almost human for once. While I enjoyed this rare expression, the noble walked past us and disappeared down the stairs. I let go of Huz’s hand.
“You did great, Huz. Just hang in there a bit longer.”
He looked annoyed at my gentle tone.
“Don’t hug me like that again.”
His voice sounded more like a grumble than a threat. Maybe it was because he said he couldn’t kill me?
I tilted my head in curiosity but decided not to push my luck. Better not go beyond holding hands.
“Alright, I’ll be careful.”
＊ ＊ ＊
While walking on the second floor, I found a small section labeled ‘Ryu’. It was tucked away in a quiet corner.
“I’ll let go now.”
“You didn’t have to say it.”
Huz, annoyed, dropped my hand.
I shook off the numbness in my wrists and looked at the bookshelf.
Let’s see… where’s the curse section?
‘Here it is.’
I pulled out a worn-out book titled About Curses. The contents were split into four parts:
- History of curses
- Types of curses
- The one who curses, the cursed one
- Unsolved secrets of the curse
I flipped to the first part.
Before we begin, let’s define what a curse is.
A curse is a wish for something bad or unlucky to happen to someone. It’s usually done as punishment or revenge.
But the curses in this book aren’t just simple bad words. These are real magical curses connected to divine powers.
I kept reading and reached the part called History of the Curse.
Long ago, curses were powers only given by Unus, the God of Justice.
But a great wizard named Gabia Argentite changed that. He managed to turn curses into a kind of magic that humans could use too.
Gabia was a genius—by 30, he was famous among all wizards and even called “God’s Representative.”
But he wanted more. One day, he met a man who was cursed by God and had a green mark.
“A mark…”
I looked at the red mark on the back of my own hand. It felt… uncomfortable.
‘It’s okay. Mine’s red, not green.’
I turned back to the book.
The man was a wizard who had used his powers to rape and murder many people.
God’s punishment was terrifying: he lost his sight, couldn’t speak, and had a sword grow from his body that cut through his skin constantly.
Gabia was inspired by this curse and wanted to create one just like it.
He worked on it for 20 years. But the curses he created were weak—barely stronger than a 10-year-old’s spells.
Even so, he passed the research to his student Laska, and Laska passed it to his own student, and so on.
Over generations, the curse magic grew stronger. Now, it can even kill someone—depending on the wizard’s power.
So, now we have two kinds of curses:
- Curse of Power – created by God
- Curse of Magic – created by humans
The Curse of Power is much stronger.
“The Curse of Power… Curse of Magic…”
I said the words out loud and turned the page.
Magic curses use up a lot of energy and need complicated formulas. Most wizards can’t even do simple ones.
But the Curse of Power is absolute—it can twist reality to punish someone.
People with this curse are marked. The mark can’t be hidden.
It means they’ve angered God.
I felt a chill.
The next line made my heart stop:
“There are two types of marks—green and red.”
“What…?”
So, a red mark meant you were cursed by God?
The first people with the mark were a married couple. They died young, around age 26.
Every few years after that, another pair would appear—and die young too.
Because it happened like this, scholars called them “Lovers with a Red Mark.”
But in the year 1126, this pattern stopped.
549 years later, in 1681, a girl named Philippa was born with the red mark.
She went missing at age 3. Her father was found dead in a river.
After that, only girls were born with the red mark, and at random times.
The research hit a dead end again.
The author studied for 10 years and only found these facts:
- Red mark holders always die young.
They usually die in their 20s or 30s in terrible ways—burned, stabbed, tortured, or from disease. - They live unhappy lives.
They were born into poverty, abandoned by family, or worked as prostitutes. - Their appearance changes.
They have red hair, black eyes, and many can survive even if their hearts are stabbed. - They never hurt anyone.
Still, people feel weird hatred when they see them—like being controlled by something evil.
There were also strange events linked to red mark holders.
A girl named Yuri Seoran was kidnapped by a famous immortal murderer, Arc Rodfell.
Another girl, Charlotte Artemi, was taken by a second murderer, Catema Antonio.
Because of this pattern, scholars believe the third immortal murderer, Huzga Dias, will also kidnap a woman with a red mark someday.
“……”
My lips shook. My eyes burned.
I dropped the book and fell to the floor.
The red mark was a divine curse.
A sign placed on my body from birth.
Women with red marks had red hair, black eyes, and strange healing powers.
People hated them for no reason.
And then there’s the murderer… who always kidnaps them.
It’s all me.
The cold floor pressed against my skin as if to remind me of the truth.
All those hateful stares… they finally made sense.
I didn’t know what to say. I just breathed deeply, trying not to cry.
Huz walked over quietly and helped me stand up.
“You’d rather forget all of this, right?”
My eyes widened.
“What do you mean?”
“I felt the same way once,” he said, ignoring my question.
“Being cursed by God… isn’t that strange anymore.”
In that moment, I realized something.
He knew.
He knew I was cursed by God.
Goosebumps ran down my spine. My jaw trembled.
Why did he kidnap me?
Was this some tradition?
What did it mean?
I had no answers. My mind was spinning.
Then I remembered something.
“Wait… I’m not the only one.”
Huz also had a mark.
Without thinking, I ripped open his robe.
His muscular chest was exposed—and there it was: a bright red mark.
He stared at me blankly, then quickly swatted my hand away.
